Birthday Blast
by NBLE999
Summary: Mugman is feeling left out after he unintentionally injures himself, but what could his brother Cuphead be up to?


Birthday Blast

A week earlier:

Cuphead and Mugman were running around the woods in their usual carefree manner flying their red and blue kite. Recently, they got it off Hilda Berg as both a little 'thank you' gift and early birthday present for saving her from the Devil's debt. For about half an hour they were racing against the wind, skipping streams and hopping through the tall grass with the kite trailing after them above.

Suddenly, just as they were about to leave a clearing, the kite took a sudden dive and got lodged within a tree. Both boys stared up at the tree in dismay, watching their kite rock up and down with the branch in the wind.

"Well, gosh darn it," groaned Mugman, "it just had to get lodged in a stupid tree branch the first time we try it out!"

"Fear not Mugsy! I'll get it down in no time!" declared Cuphead, in his usual bold manner.

He walked over to the base of the trunk, spat on his hands and prepared to climb up…only to slide back down. He looked back at Mugman with a nervous look before trying again, and again, and again.

Mugman shook his head pityingly at his brother's efforts before looking back up at the kite again. _I bet I can try and get it down from there_, he thought to himself. Cuphead was still trying to climb up the imposing trunk while Mugman laid his eyes on a nearby tree.

Much to his delight, this tree had a number of interconnecting branches which would surely allow him to reach the first branch of the tree that the kite was stuck in. He decided to fetch it himself to surprise Cuphead to impress him. He knew that his brother was pretty impressed with him enough from their short time as the Devil's lackeys, but the eager little mug wanted to impress him a step further.

Cuphead was now glaring up at the tree before backing up a few yards away from the trunk. He then sprinted before leaping in the air to grab onto it, despite his small arms. Unfortunately, his face landed into the hard bark, causing him to rebound and land on his back.

Instantly, the red cup cupped his face in pain and pulled away to find some blood on his gloves. He groaned in both concern and frustration at having broken his nose at trying to climb the damn tree.

"Whoa! Are you okay?!" a small voice called out from above him.

To his surprise, it was Mugman in the tree, who was now very close to the branch that snared the kite. The blue mug grimaced as he took a good long look at his brother's bloody face. He almost looked like he had been fighting again, only this time he just suffered a broken nose.

"Whut're thuh hell're you doin' up there?" Cuphead mumbled nasally.

"Getting the kite back down! I'm almost there in getting it, see?!" Mugman responded excitedly.

"Yeh, yeh, justh be careful cuhmin' duhn, okeh?"

"Yeesh, Cuphead, don't worry too much abo—"

Suddenly, just as Mugman grabbed onto the kite, the branch snapped beneath him, causing the poor boy to plummet to the ground in shock, still holding the kite. Cuphead's eyes and mouth widened in terror as his brother landed with a sickening crack on the ground.

There was an air of dead silence for twenty seconds before a shocked Cuphead ran over to his dazed brother and cried, "Mugs! Mugs?! A – are you ok—?"

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

Present time:

Since then, Mugman had been mostly confined to their home with a broken leg and right arm, as well as the most painful looking black eye ever. As for Cuphead, the only sign of injury he bore was a small cotton bandage he wore on top of his nose.

Mugman would spend the days just sitting on the couch reading, drawing with his good hand and listening to the radio. Cuphead would always make small talk with him every morning and evening, only to be gone for most of the day. He'd try to ask how Cup's day was only to have him change the subject or just respond with "Fine, fine, nothing much."

The poor mug hoped that he'd stay around that Saturday for their birthday. He'd even wondered if some of the debtors were coming over. However, he guessed that he'd be staying home while Cuphead and some of their friends would be out celebrating.

"Yeah, well, I kinda wanted to be alone," he muttered to himself, which was kind of true.

He felt a little angry at Cuphead for not hanging around with him. However, he'd also remember that guilty look in Cuphead's eyes whenever they did chat. _Perhaps my injuries also remind him of our battles with all the folks on the Devil's list_, he thought. With that realisation, Mugman began to feel even more gloomy.

During the times Cuphead was out, he'd often wonder what he was up to. Usually, Elder Kettle would allow them to be out until six but for three days this week, he was coming back at around eight o'clock. On Friday night that week, Cuphead came back all frustrated and cursing under his breath.

"Hey, Cups! How was – ?"

Cuphead had already slammed their bedroom door behind him, much to Mugman's surprise. Sure, he was a bit of a hothead, but he was never this angry before.

Elder Kettle sighed and said, "I'll go talk to him, son."

After 15 minutes, Elder Kettle came down and walked over to his adopted son, who looked back at him concerned.

"Is Cuphead okay?"

"He's fine, boy. He's just extremely disappointed with some plans he had for tomorrow."

"Plans?" he asked curiously.

"He made me swear not to tell you what they are, but I will tell you that he can't go through with most of them," Kettle explained.

"Why can't he go through with them then?"

"He just heard that there's some bad weather on the way around noon tomorrow. However, I have suggested that he try a different approach with what he's planning," Elder Kettle replied.

Tomorrow, on their birthday? Now, Mugman's interest was piqued. Was he planning a surprise for him or something? He decided to say nothing so that he'll see for himself.

"Okay, then. Let's hope something better turns up for him," Mugman quipped.

"Yes, let's hope so. Now come on," Elder Kettle said, taking Mugman's hand, "I'll help you get up the stairs."

"Thanks, Elder Kettle," Mugman replied.

The next morning:

Mugman stirred and took a big yawn, gently rubbing his eyes with his uninjured hand. His arm and leg had been encased in plaster since the accident and now he felt being weighed down in bed. He never thought that having a feeling of being sunk into your bed would ever be uncomfortable.

Turning his head, he noticed that Cuphead was gone, with his bedsheets all over the place. He thought about what Elder Kettle said to him yesterday, and began to wonder what he was doing today.

"WAAAAKE UUUUP!" Cuphead sang, slamming the door open.

Mugman jumped before slightly flinching in pain. He sat up as best as he could to ask his brother, "What the hell, Cuphead?! What are you –?"

"Sorry, brother!" Cuphead chuckled, "just wanted to start your birthday off with a bang!"

"Yeah, yeah, thanks. Now what –"

Before he could finish, Cuphead stuck a small object wrapped in blue paper and happily proclaimed, "Happy birthday, Mugman!"

Mugman's eyes widened as he took the present and started to tear off the paper as best he could. All he could think was, _I knew it was a surprise, I KNEW IT!_

Cuphead watched eagerly as his brother tore off the last shred of paper to reveal a shiny new toy car. The paint was soft blue and had glistening silver bumpers with a small key with which to operate it. The blue mug smiled widely as he examined this swell gift he received. He then reached his good arm out for a hug, which Cuphead enthusiastically returned.

"Gee, Cuphead! I really love it! Thank you so much!"

"Yeah well, I raked up a lot of money to get that car for you. So, you play with it as long as ya want," his brother replied.

Mugman smiled before asking him, "Hey, about last night…what were you mad about?"

"O – oh, that! I was kinda bummed that nobody would come around due to this bad weather and I had planned a really spectacular party for pretty much everyone to come and see," he explained.

Mugman nodded, finally understanding as to why his brother had been mad the other night. He lay back in bed and asked, "So, you just wanted a really big party for us, but didn't tell me?"

"Yeah, a – and I'm sorry I wasn't seeing you all that much but I wanted it to be a surprise," Cuphead sighed.

"It's okay! I understand now! I don't mind just celebrating our birthday with just ourselves and Elder Kettle!"

"Thanks, Mugs. Anyways, you hungry?" he asked.

Before Mugman could answer, his stomach let out a small growl, which was most certainly a yes.

"Just let me get dressed, okay?"

"Okay, just call out when you're done!" Cuphead replied, walking out of the room.

Mugman put on his clothes as best as he could, despite the huge casts on his arm and leg, before rummaging under his pillow for something. He pulled out a sketch that he drew a few months back when they successfully liberated all of Inkwell Isle. It was a coloured sketch of the two brothers grinning proudly as ever with their fists to the sky. He drew them both with a few small cracks in their heads, to remind them of how far they came to freeing all those souls. _This would make a great gift for Cuphead_, he thought.

He stuffed the drawing into his pocket before calling out to his brother, "Okay, Cups! I'm ready!"

Cuphead walked in beaming and told him, "Great! When we get downstairs, you're gonna love the cake, Mugs!"

"Ooohh, is it chocolate?"

"You betcha! Now let's get ya downstairs," he smiled.

For the rest of the day, the two brothers and their guardian had a nice, small, party celebrating another year in the cups' lives and enjoying each other's company. All in all, it was a really pleasant birthday that they'll surely remember.

**A/N: Heya folks! First off, I'm amazed that I managed to get this story done in one week! I seem to be getting better at writing. Also, I know that I said I'd be taking a break from writing, which starts now of course, but I really wanted to get something out for the anniversary of the game's release! Hopefully it's not too long and that you all enjoy it! If you did, please leave a nice review and fave it if you want. Have a lovely evening! Peace!**


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